1. San Francisco 49ers (-5) vs. GB – The Packers are talking a big game, but when push comes to shove, the 49ers massive lines – both offensive and defensive – will out muscle them to the 10 point victory.

Next in line

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4.5) vs. NYJ – It is difficult to trust Josh Freeman, except when the Bucs are facing a team with a QB worse than he is. The revamped Bucs secondary will complement an already strong run defense and force QB Geno Smith into mistakes, en route to a win by at least a TD.

3. Houston Texans (-5.5) vs. SD – The Chargers are facing a rebuilding year, and have a lot of holes defensively. The Texans have retooled and are a Super Bowl candidate. Look for their defense to smother Rivers and Co. and for Houston to win by double digits.

4. Cincinnati Bengals (+3) vs. Chi – See money line bet analysis.

Rounding things out

Minnesota Vikings (+6) vs. Det – The Lions always seem to come up short when heavily favored over their division rival. The Vikings will keep this close and may pull off the upset.

New England Patriots (-10.5) vs. Buf – Bill Belichick is always tough on rookie QBs. That won’t change this weekend.

Washington Redskins (-4.5) vs. Phi – The betting line is likely due to respect for Chip Kelly’s offensive scheme. It won’t change the outcome on Monday. Kelly’s not blessed with the superior talent he had at Oregon and this isn’t the Pac 10. The Redskins are a better team across the board.

Money Line Analysis

Cincinnati Bengals (+125) vs. Chi – The Bengals are a Super Bowl contender loaded with young talent. The Bears have a new coach with a new system, and are dealing with some turnover defensively from a year ago. They’re still very formidable at home, but the unknowns coupled with a talented Bengals team will result in a W for Cincinnati in Week 1.

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Houston Texans (-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals – Although the Texans have played their worst ball of the season lately, they’re catching a Bengals team that failed to beat one playoff team the entire season.

They also showed distinct holes against the run in their finale as Ray Rice torched them for two long TDs.

Against Arian Foster and Ben Tate, that’s a weakness that’s sure to be exploited. This should be a competitive game throughout, but look for Houston to win a lower scoring game by 7 on the back of a strong defensive effort and the legs of their stout running game.

Earlier in the week the FG point spread looked good in Cincinnati’s favor. But now, whether betting in a Vegas sportsbook or the best online sportsbook, the smart money is on Houston.

NFC

Detroit Lions (+10.5) vs. New Orleans Saints – The Saints will win this game. They’ve won most in their home park going away. But the Lions will be much healthier this go around than when the teams faced off a month ago.

In that contest they were without DT Ndamukong Suh plus S Louis Delmas, which hurt against the pass. And that is exactly where Brees and Co. attacked that night. The yards and points will be high once again, as both offenses are prolific, but the outcome will be closer than the 10.5 betting line suggests.